


i just wanna (love u)

by heecheondo (HChnD)



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animal Shelter, Fluff, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Woops, arthur stop writing rare tbz ships challenge, changmin is oblivous, i usually use lapslock for aesthetic but this time i was just lazy, i'm fuckign soft, if u kno what i mean wink, jaehyun just wanted a kitty but ended up having two, jukyu are besties, lapslock, ship jaekyu uglies, super fluff, who work at the shelter together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-22 00:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15569268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HChnD/pseuds/heecheondo
Summary: jaehyun has always wanted a cat, but when heactuallygets one... he doesn't know what to do. but it's okay, because the cutie from the animal shelter he got his pet from is more than willing to help him.[info] this fic has been translated intoVietnamese, courtesy ofLt.815!!!





	i just wanna (love u)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for my main b mei who had this idea and let me write it even if it ended up being meh and also for being literally the only one to hype jaekyu other than me. why we gotta always root for literally that one ship no one else does? also wanna say thank you for jaekyu themselves [for the food](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J2vGM8vNL4) which came [twice this era](https://twitter.com/theboyzpicz/status/1017377452853608448) after literally months since their last interaction. it's probably because i was so well fed that i wrote _way_ more than what i have expected lmao. and added pets?? what a blessing.  
> title taken from the [queen's comeback](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtLgabce8KQ)

lee jaehyun is pretty stubborn, so when he makes up his mind of adopting a cat there is _no_ one to change up his mind. he's wanted one for literal years but when he was a kid his mom never allowed him, and once he moved out he wasn't able to afford one straight ahead. but he was now twenty five and okay, he wasn't the most financially successful man on the planet but he told himself that he had enough to manage because, once again, he was stubborn and definitely not changing his mind so soon. he _was_ going to adopt a cat. and now was the best time: it was summer break so both he and his new companion would have a couple of weeks to become used with their new routines with no worries. it was a perfect plan.

and with that in mind, he googled the closest animal shelter and decided to visit them as soon as possible. and with it, he quickly discovered that his plan wasn't going to be as smooth as he thought of.

"hello", a tall man - juyeon, his name tag said - welcomed him with a sweet smile. "welcome to ji and lee's animal shelter, i'm lee juyeon. how can i help you?"

"ah, yes hello. i'm lee jaehyun", he introduced himself nervously. "i would be interested in adopting a kitty and i found this shelter."

the other stayed a moment looking at him in confusion until he smiled wide. "i'm glad you're interested in adopting instead of buying it. it's pretty uncommon these days. anyway, would you follow me? so i can show you the cats we have."

"sure", he quickly said as he walked a few steps behind juyeon. the place wasn't very big and was most likely a relatively old house that was adapted for the animals they have, but it seemed like he and whoever worked with him managed with what they could. jaehyun was glad he went to the shelter instead of buying himself a pet.

"what made you decide to adopt?", juyeon suddenly asked. "not many visit us since they would rather buy a pup or a kitty. most of our pets are either stray or already grown."

he put some thought into it before answering him. "i don't really like the idea of buying animals, so adopting was the obvious option."

the other smiled. "that's good to hear. well, our cats are in here, since this is the biggest room-- changmin what are you doing!"

jaehyun blinked at the man's sudden raised voice, but then gave the room juyeon had just opened a better look: yeah, it was obviously a room made for cats, looking at all the toys and shelves and, well, all the cats. but then, in the middle of it all was... a dude. a dude, lying on the floor, and hugging a cat who was peacefully sleeping on his belly?

he did know what to name it, but the scene was so sweet he felt like melting right there.

"ji changmin, you were supposed to refill their food but what you do instead?"

the man looked at juyeon as if he hadn't done anything wrong. "cuddle with simba?"

he sighed. "i can't even be mad at you because i know i'd probably do the same. anyway", he turned to the man to his side. "jaehyun-ssi, meet my business partner and best friend, ji changmin. changmin, this is lee jaehyun. he's interested in adopting a cat. "

"hello, nice to--"

he was cut by a very loud gasp across the room. "oh my _god_ you're going to adopt one of our cats?!", the man shouted happily, quickly getting up - which made the cute cat wake up and jump from his belly to sleep somewhere else, poor cat - and grabbing his hand. "those are very good news! thank you so much, jaehyun-ssi!"

"ah, yes...", he awkwardly said.

"so, i suppose you're here to take a look on them?", he kept going. "i can gladly do it! they are like our babies, mines and juyeon's, but it's great when someone wants to adopt them, this is why we have this shelter to begin with, right?"

"changmin-ah, slow down a bit", his friend laughed. "well, since you'll gladly show him around i will return to the front. see you, jaehyun-ssi."

the man politely bowed to the tall one, turning his attention to the other. he hadn't noticed how petit he was, but now that he was alone with changmin it was pretty noticeable. he also had this pair of super adorable dimples that kept getting his attention whenever he smiled. and a mole next to his mouth...

jaehyun forced a cough, trying not to think how attracted he was to the one in front of him. "so, the cats..."

"ah, yes!", he said turning to the room. "we currently have four, simba is the white one you saw with me a while ago", he said pointing at the cat who was now sleeping inside a half bitten cardboard box, "he is eight years old and is one of our oldest, but don't let his nap fool you he's quite energetic sometimes. then we have ginger", he pointed to an orange and white cat who was currently running inside a tunnel, "who have been rescued from a bad owner, and also spark," he said, pointing to a short-tailed and an all black cat resting in one shelf, "who we found on the streets. then there is nala... where is her?"

"i think i know."

changmin turned to jaehyun to find him pointing at his feet, a beige cat currently rubbing her face on his feet. "oh. _wow_. she usually doesn't really like visitors...", he said more to himself but then returned smiling, crouching so he could pet her. "did you like him, sweetie? hmm?"

jaehyun found himself sitting on the floor while watching the two interact. "what's her story?"

the other eyed him sadly before answering. "we don't really know. juyeon and i found both her and simba a while ago and they seemed injured. they probably lived in the streets and were attacked by... someone. so we took them both in. simba is very bubbly around new people but she is very traumatic and usually stay away from strangers, or try to attack them."

that made him feel bad for her. he didn't really understand how could someone harm other living beings when they were so innocent and pure. whoever did it were pure _evil_.

he decided to move his hand towards the cat, but not enough to touch her; instead, he left it hanging in front of nala. she looked at it for a while and smelled it, and jaehyun thought that maybe she'd notice he was some stranger and hiss at him but instead, he saw her rubbing her face on his palm. "oh my god", he whispered softly.

changmin laughed at the scene. "she _definitely_ likes you."

he kept petting her for a good while until he finally looked at the other. "i want to adopt her."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"it makes me sad to see one of my babies go but i'm glad she's getting a new home", changmin said while petting her one last time.

he was too busy staring at nala to notice how jaehyun was nervous as he said, "well, you could always visit me. her. i mean her, the cat. _obviously_."

her previous owner looked at the other with shining eyes. "for real?"

jaehyun quickly blinked. "s- sure! why not? besides, i never had a cat before. i might need help adapting."

"i would gladly help you! wait, a moment", he took a piece of paper and quickly wrote his number with a pen that was lying on the table. "here, my number! feel free to text me anytime you want to, i will try to reply as soon as i can."

"alright, thank you. well, i better get going then", he awkwardly smiled. "we'll see each other soon?"

"sure! see you!", he said smiling, looking at the door even after the taller one disappearing through it. he sighed. it hasn't been a while since one of his beloved pets had found them another home to receive love, since a week prior to that one a canadian couple had adopted two of their dogs, but no matter how many times it happened he would still feel a bit sad to see them go. it could be contracting, considering he owned an animal shelter _because_ he wanted those adorable pets to find a home.

but it was for the best. it wasn't like he needed to worry, anyway. nala seemed pretty confident with jaehyun and he seemed to genuinely like her too. changmin probably didn't need to worry about her. and he honestly didn't, he was sure that he'd take good care of her. he can bet she would be spoiled with love for the rest of her life.

rather than being worried about her, he couldn't stop thinking about him. he sighed again, he can't believe he managed to keep his cool for so long, but well, it was probably because he kept his mind occupied with the cats and cute animals always work to distract him for hot men. but jaehyun still was a _very_ hot man and the fact he didn't gay panic in front of him was surely an achievement. and he gave him his number! sure, he gave it in case he needed cat help, and would most likely only contact him for that purpose, but it was an achievement nonetheless. 

"your gay is showing, ji changmin."

he jumped on his seat at the sudden voice, interrupting his thoughts. "juyeon-ah, you startled me! when did you come in?"

"come in? i have been here since you told jaehyun-ssi you'd show him our cats. _you're_ the one who came in here."

he blinked. "you've been here all the time?"

he scoffed. "yeah. and i've seen everything, from the shining eyes you directed to nala to the bedroom eyes you directed to _him_."

"i did not give him bedroom eyes!", he protested, pouting at the older. but just one raised brow made him sigh a third time. "i did, didn't i? was it _that_ obvious?"

"just a bit, but i don't think he noticed, don't worry", juyeon said, patting on his shoulder. 

"thank god. i'd feel super bad if i had embarrassed myself in front of him."

"nah, it was pretty the opposite actually", the taller shrugged.

changmin slowly turned at his friend. "what do you mean?"

juyeon looked at him blankly. "he has the hots for you?"

that made the other laugh. "yeah,  _right_."

"sure, don't believe me then", he said shrugging another time, changing his attention to his phone. he wanted to protest more but instead, changmin decided to check on the pets. not because he wanted some time alone to reminisce his time with jaehyun a few more times, obviously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cats were, as jaehyun quickly learned, not as easy to take care as he had imagined.

sure, they were more independent than other pets, kept themselves clean most of the time and slept nearly the entire day. but it still wasn't the easiest of the world, and considering that nala was already a bit older and had _so_ many fears.

sure nala liked him - a _lot_ , as proven by how her favourite spot to sleep was on his bed - but everything was new for her. his flat wasn't the biggest but she had more space to explore compared to the shelter, she liked to wander around the house while jaehyun tried to sleep, dropped many of his things while he wasn't looking, and she had this weird habit to climb onto his table, going to the higher shelves and then meowling instead of going down on her own. he thought the stereotype of the cat trapped in a high tree was just a silly cinematic cliché, but apparently it wasn't. it happened a couple of times actually and he was glad he was on summer break because he felt tired.

but that wasn't the biggest surprise for him. one day nala was walking normally around the house while jaehyun watched when suddenly, she paused and her belly moved weirdly. the man could only look at her astonished as she... _threw up_. he got up to see if she was okay but then the cat, probably startled by him, ran away from him. 

he kept staring at what clearly looked like the cat food he had just given her and, not really knowing what to do, he panicky called changmin.

"yes hyung~?", he said with his sweet voice. he'd probably melt at that if he wasn't so worried for his pet.

"are you too busy? can you come here? it's urgent."

the other line went silent for a couple seconds before he heard the younger's voice again. "i'm not that busy. why, is everything alright?"

"i think nala is ill and i don't know what to do?"

"what? i'm arriving in ten!", changmin shouted and left the call. the older decided to go find the cat, to check if she had thrown up more.

he found her sleeping on his table.

"how can you look so peaceful after that", he whispered to himself, patting her as she purred at him. "are you fine, sweetie? did i give you something bad for you?", he asked her as if she'd answer. 

not long passed until he heard his phone ringing, changmin messaging him to get him past the front gate. at least his flat was on the lowers floor so they didn't need to take the stairs. there was no elevator.

"what happened to her?", the younger asked concerned and he was glad to have someone like him around. jaehyun could sense how he cared for his animals, even when they were adopted. hell, changmin probably cares for every single animal his eyes ever saw. he was that loving.

he decided to put the thought aside because as in love as he clearly was for the younger - although he told himself repeatedly it was just an innocent crush - he still did not know what was wrong with his cat. "she puked her food."

his response was a head tilt from the younger and a face of confusion. jaehyun repeated himself, maybe he had stuttered or spoken too quickly? but maybe that wasn't the issue, considering his face expressed relief. "that's normal."

"changmin, she puked-- look, it's right there!", he said pointing at where the gross thing was still lying on the floor, ignoring how much of a bad impression it could give to the other. he didn't clean it yet because he was busy petting nala, making sure she wasn't dying! not because he didn't clean at  _all_!

the shorter man looked at his hyung and laughed loudly. "hyung, have you never heard of hairballs? cats puke often because they swallow some of their dead fur when they wash themselves."

jaehyun turned his dongsaeng, to the thing and then to his dongsaeng again. "that doesn't look like a hairball."

"she probably had her stomach full so it looks like she puked her food", he shrugged. "where is her by the way? i could give her a glare if you're that concerned."

"she's on my office, it's the first left door that way", he pointed to the other, "feel free to get it. i'll clean this then."

"oh. uhm. sure?", changmin nervously said and the other man noticed him hesitate before moving towards the door. it was quite cute, jaehyun thought, how he was so bubbly but had his shy moments. changmin had never entered his flat past the living room, which was located right after the front door, so his shyness was understandable, he guessed. 

after cleaning the gross thing that had stayed in his floor for longer than it should have, the older decided to check on his guest and was not surprised with the scene he was witnessing. the younger man did love the pets he saved with his entire heart and nala probably trusted him more than she trusted jaehyun, so he was sure he'd met the two of them together peacefully. the cat hadn't moved much from the position he had last seen her, but she had her head hanging high so changmin could scratch her chin. if he had his phone close to him he'd most certainly immortalize the scene. it was too pure.

not wanting to interrupt the two of them, jaehyun quietly walked to the man's side, still watching the two's interaction.

"she seems healthy", it was changmin who said after a while, eyes still on nala. "you're doing a great job."

"just because you're helping me."

changmin turned to the older with a reprehending face (but really, he just looked cute and not threatening at all). "don't say it like that, hyung. i'm giving bits of advice but it's you who are takin care of her."

not knowing what to reply, jaehyun thought it was his turn to pet the cat, which she gladly accepted. it warmed his heart.

"thank you, by the way."

"hmm?"

"thank you for coming by and help me out, even if it was nothing. and for all the other times as well. and the advice you text me."

changmin giggled - so cutely! - at that. "it's nothing, hyung. i'd do anything to make sure this cute baby is well", he said while petting her head one last time before turning to the older one again. "well, i should get going now. i did leave juyeon alone at the shelter after all."

"oh, really? i shouldn't have asked for you to come then."

"it's okay hyung! i'd do it again if i could get to see the two of you a little more", he smiled blindly to the older. 

the older blinked at it. the two of you? he had no reason to want to see jaehyun as much as nala! but instead of speaking his thoughts out loud he just nodded and accompanied changmin to his door, saying his farewells. and then went back to his thoughts, because it didn't make sense?

or did he share his feelings? did changmin also like him, even though he was so certain the younger only talked to him for his cats?

well. asking didn't hurt. or maybe asking it indirectly. it would probably hurt less if he was wrong, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"let me see if i get this straight. so you're telling me hyung called you instead of taking nala to a vet, thanked you for the help even when feeling bad for calling you at this hour, and kept looking at you two while you pet her?", juyeon scoffed. "there is nothing straight about it, changmin-ah."

the slightly younger man rolled his eyes at his best friend. "he was looking at nala, juyeon-ah, not us _both_. and even if he's not straight, it wouldn't be me who he likes."

the older looked uninterestedly at him. "and why is that?"

"because, i don't know, a whole lee juyeon exist?"

the two of them shared a look until the taller one laughed at his face. "are you for real? ji changmin i knew you were dense but not this _dense_."

he pouted.

"seriously changmin, he has given you nearly all the signs and you didn't catch any of them. i'm surprised he didn't give up or something."

the short man did not want to hear more of it so he decided to check his phone. unexpectedly, he had a new message from a certain lee jaehyun. he could sense the corner of his lips going up already.

> **( present hyung uwu )**
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ did you arrive already?
> 
> _( me ):_  yup! safely arrived and ready to pet all the pets i can >:)
> 
> _( me ):_ i mean finish my work
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ haha
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ i'm glad
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ thank you again for helping me out!
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ even if it was nothing
> 
> _( me ):_ don't worryyyyyy 
> 
> _( me ):_ i dont mind <3<3
> 
> _(present hyung uwu ):_ :) 

changmin sighed. "see?", he showed his phone to his friend. "he just sent a smile! how is that him sending me a signal?"

juyeon blankly stared at the message for a while until he turned his eyes to the other. "do you even hear yourself?"

"what?"

he sighed. "maybe he doesn't feel comfortable with sending hearts to someone he met two weeks ago. or maybe he's just as dense as you and didn't notice you sending hearts means flirting", he paused, noticing something. "well, you also send _me_ hearts, and emojis, and kaomojis, so he might think it's how you type."

he tilted his head in confusion. "there is a difference between sending hearts to a friend and sending hearts to someone you want to woo."

"that being?"

changmin opened his mouth but realized he didn't know how to explain that. "i don't know. my feelings?"

juyeon scoffed. "alright then."

the younger pouted again but didn't know how to refute, so he quietly excused himself and decided to check on their pets. and probably cuddle with one of them. or all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jaehyun didn't know why he was so nervous to visit the shelter once again. he had done it twice already - one when adopting nala, another to ask the two previous owners about what he should buy her, such as toys and scratchers - but maybe it was reasonable to be _this_ nervous, considering he wasn't going for any cat-related reason this time but actually human-related reasons. or more specifically, changmin-related reasons, the man he's been crushing on for nearly a month now. yeah, he had all the reasons to be nervous considering that he was going to ask him out.

he didn't really prepare anything, he just decided to go. bad plan.

"oh, hey hyung", juyeon welcomed him as usual. "i wasn't expecting you to be back so soon. do you need anything?"

the older looked around the room after nodding politely to his dongsaeng. "is changmin on the back?"

"as usual", the other said, giving him a knowing look. "did you come here to see him?"

"yes. i mean, no. i mean--", he glared at the slightly shorter man. "how did you--"

"you eyes scream 'i like ji changmin'", he shrugged. "he is probably with the pups, feel free to get in. it's the door after the cat's room."

jaehyun didn't move for a while, trying to absorb what he just heard. "am i that obvious?" juyeon nodded, which made the other drop his shoulders. "does he--?"

"oh god no", the younger scoffed. "he's oblivious. thinks you'd never fall for him. can you believe?", he finished his thought, laughing at it. "dummy."

not knowing what else to say, he simply nodded at the shelter owner before entering at its back, walking past the room where he first met both changmin and nala. it was funny thinking about it, how changmin was lying down with a cat--

he opened the door and had to hold his laugh, looking at the scene in front of him. he was lying down on the floor,  _again_ , but this time he had his arms under his chin, admiring closely a pup feed from its mom. he could _see_ the heart eyes forming from his eyes and really, it was surprising how changmin could always get more adorable than what jaehyun had previously thought. it was like the younger had no adorableness limit.

"why are you always on the floor when i find you?", he decided to break the silence once the pup stopped feeding, so the only one who jumped at the sudden voice was the younger man, who stared at him with wide eyes but quickly smiled at him.

"hyung! how long have you been there? and why did you got in?"

"not long, and juyeon let me in", he simply said, sitting by his side once changmin sat down.

the short one nodded. "did something else happen with nala?"

jaehyun breathed in. "nope. i came here for another reason", he paused, looking at changmin's reaction, who just seemed confused yet mildly interested as to what he'd say. "you will be closing in a bit, right?"

he first got a blink as a response. then a couple more, until he nodded. "yeah, why?"

he smiled. "well, it is saturday night and so i was expecting... that you would be willing to go hang out maybe? even if it's just for a quick drink. what do... you think of it?"

"oh. _oh_. uhm", the younger mumbled, cheeks growing pink. "i guess? i mean, sure, why not?", he said quickly, then found himself laughing. "sorry, that just was a bit too unexpected."

"it's okay, i did come here unexpectedly as well", he laughed as well.

the two of them kept silently staring at the floor, suddenly the situation growing awkward. jaehyun decided to clean his throat and get up. "well then, after you?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"this is so _good_ ", changmin exclaimed once he had a sip of his iced americano. "just what i needed to cool me down. thanks for the invite, hyung."

"it was nothing", jaehyun said, sipping on his drinks as well. "next time it will be a better hang out."

"oh, there will be a next time?", the younger teased but quickly dropped his smile, thinking that it probably didn't mean what he wanted those words to be. "why didn't you invite juyeon too? he is probably melting as we speak."

the older stared blankly at him. "why would i?"

he licked his lips before answering. "why would you not?"

"because i want to hang out with you?"

he frowned. "do you not like juyeon."

"no. i mean-- yeah, of course i like him. as a _dongsaeng_."

"and... you don't like me as a dongsaeng?", he asked slowly, not really understanding the older's intentions.

he sighed. "damn do i suck at this", he whispered to himself until he looked at the shorter. "ji changmin. i want to hang out with you because i like you. but not just like a dongsaeng... you know?"

he didn't. so, naturally, he shook his head, making the other drop his head for a bit.

"what i'm trying to say it that... i find you cute. and that i enjoy being with you, and that i'm thankful for you being so reliable with nala, and that i want to spent more time with you. i want to know you more. because i like you."

changmin blinked. "you like me."

"y- yeah."

"and like. more than just a dongsaeng."

"yes."

"more than you like juyeon."

jaehyun frowned. "why do you keep bringing juyeon into this? those are different likes and he's just a friend."

the younger looked surprised at that. "you like me and not juyeon?!"

" _you thought i liked juyeon_?!"

"yes i did!"

the taller one stared at changmin, mouth wide open. "what made you think that!"

he stopped and put some thought on that. "i don't know. i just thought he was more of your type."

his frown got deeper. "i like cute things."

"juyeon can be cute."

"he can?", he asked but then shook his head. "that is irrelevant! i like you, silly."

he pouted. "i'm not silly."

"yes you are", he scoffed. "stop pouting, it makes me want to kiss you."

"oh?", he smirked. "maybe i want that."

jaehyun looked at him. "do you?"

changmin could feel him blushing. "yeah. i like you too, hyung. and wouldn't mind if you kissed me."

the older got closer. "yeah?"

"yeah", he said smiling, letting the older get closer.

but then, when his lips were inches apart, he put his hand over the older's lips. "what the--"

"you didn't tell me how nala is the entire night! hyung, how dare you!"

he saw jaehyun's face change within seconds, from a confused expression to a blank and then a disappointed one. "i can't believe i've been this quickly traded by a cat."

the younger looked offended at that. "i raised her for years, she's like my daughter! i need to know."

his hyung pouted. but not for long, because the two laughed at that. "it's okay, if it wasn't for her i wouldn't have met you."

he rolled his eyes, but he had to admit, that was cheesy but it was _smooth_ , and he was a sucker for cheesy stuff. also pet-related stuff. and also lee jaehyun.

**Author's Note:**

> forgive me for the rushed ending  
> with this fic i realized i havent written fics with animals since 2k15????????? me???????????? Shook. thank god i fixed this lmao. i kind of tried to remember how it was when we first got out cats and also added some of my cats' personalities onto nala (and the cat in high place ft meowling is Real, i got a cat named kero who goes on our fridge and keeps meowling even though there is literally a shelf next to it and over a table where he can escape casually and quietly. he can be a bitch sometimes)  
> talk to me!: [twt](https://twitter.com/heecheondo) & [cc](https://curiouscat.me/heecheondo)


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